2015 post UK election discussion

[rascal]

She has been tipped as the rising star of the Labour Party, became the first MP to formally declare a campaign to become leader and has been praised as a politician who speaks human.

So who is Liz Kendall? The Leicester West MP has impressed since being elected to Parliament in 2010 with a 4,000-vote majority.

Clearly tipped early by her colleagues, Ms Kendall was sent straight into a shadow ministerial role, taking on the health brief.

The post followed her previous job as director of the Ambulance Service Network – the national organisation that represents all NHS ambulance services.

Ms Kendall grew up in the village of Abbots Langley in Hertfordshire and attended Watford Grammar School for Girls before heading to Cambridge University. There she won a First-class degree in History, studying at Queens' College in the early 1990s.

After her time in healthcare Ms Kendall joined the Institute for Public Policy Research think tank before becoming a special adviser to Patricia Hewitt and Harriet Harman - two Labour cabinet ministers.

Since taking office, Ms Kendall has become a member of the so-called ‘breakfast club’ quartet of Labour frontbenchers along with Chuka Umunna, Emma Reynolds, and Tristram Hunt.

Two of those – Mr Umunna and Mr Hunt – could now become her leadership rivals as the younger generation seeks to wrench the leadership from more familiar New Labour faces such as Andy Burnham and Yvette Cooper.

Ms Kendall called for the party to draw a line under Ed Miliband’s leadership in a Sunday interview on the BBC which drew plaudits from media commentators.

“I think we didn’t get people's trust on the economy... we didn't set out a positive enough alternative for the future,” she said.

Ms Kendall also told the Sunday Times: "Fundamental reform is essential to the future survival of our party.

"We need to show people that we understand their aspirations and ambitions for the future. If you look right across England, we did not do enough to appeal to Conservative supporters, and we must."

Ms Kendall has admitted she loves rap music - Dr Dre is her favourite artist – and has a celebrity partner: the comedian Greg Davies, star of the comedy sitcom The Inbetweeners.

“I mostly listen to rap,” she has said. “I do listen to some Eminem, I listen to Dr Dre – my favourite – and loads of Jay-Z, but from the good old days of The Black Album. I listen to a bit of Public Enemy. It’s brilliant – particularly if I’m about to speak in the Chamber."

She has also been happy to criticise her Labour predecessors, saying last September: “The last three prime ministers didn’t have anywhere near as clear a vision of what they wanted to do with health and care, as Miliband does now. Cameron had no idea, and Tony Blair and Gordon Brown didn’t have as full an understanding of what needs to change.”

Whether she comes out on top in the mammoth leadership contest that is about to engulf the Labour Party remains to be seen, but she has certainly stole a march on her rivals over the weekend.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/pol...-Kendall-the-Labour-leadership-contender.html

A politician with life experience? Whatever next.

 

[daylightrobber]

I 'm sure you didn't mean it to be, but you sound quite patronising there. We are ready to have children - we've chosen to save up in order to facilitate it.

You seem to be suggesting that it's sensible to allow emotion to overwhelm all other factors in making important life decisions. I'm simply disagreeing.

Apologies if that's how you saw it.

If you're ready though........I think you're probably going to make pretty responsible parents. It is obvious that you've thought about what will be best for your kids. Don't let the opportunity pass you by though. Your time & your energy are every bit as important.

 

[Tree13]

The study I linked to isn't based upon historic recruitment and the longest-serving members of the profession, but instead breaks it down into various career stages, based on a random selection of practising solicitors. It also does not take into account Barristers or Judges.

Then your study has an increased margin of error, and is less representative than it could be. Doesn't strengthen your argument - quite to the contrary, it weakens your argument by calling into question the relevance and applicability of your results when attempting to apply them as representative of the entire industry.

Your crude description of checking genitals and ascribing a pay level does nothing to help your argument. Sexism, racism and other forms of discrimination are still problematic in our society and by burying your head in the sand and ignoring it, you are part of the problem.

It highlights the absurdity of your argument. You are right to say sexism, racism, etc are still problems in society - you are wrong to say they are a big problem in the legal industry. You are wrong because you've either misunderstood the data or you are deliberately misrepresenting it. By doing so you are serving as a much bigger part of the problem than I.

I await your answer to my previous post in which I asked why male solicitors from ethnic minorities are earning 25% less than white male solicitors.

Asked and answered in post 2513. I think we cross-posted.

 

[Tree13]

Apologies if that's how you saw it.

If you're ready though........I think you're probably going to make pretty responsible parents. It is obvious that you've thought about what will be best for your kids. Don't let the opportunity pass you by though. Your time & your energy are every bit as important.

No worries. like I said, it came across that way, but it was fairly clear it wasn't meant to.

Re time and energy: Indeed. That's why I'm slaving my guts out to earn and save now, rather than having to do so after the saplings arrive!

 

[Tree13]

will prob forget to claim the money then...

Ouch!

 

[Jags..class]

will prob forget to claim the money then...

That the reason, he can't remember what days he get paid. Looks like he fit enough to work to be honest, taking tabs, smoking bongs and wondered why he can't remember.

 

[Seanjd]

Are we still discussing @Tree13 's non existent children? C'mon bros, let's move on.

 

[tim cahill]

No worries. like I said, it came across that way, but it was fairly clear it wasn't meant to.

Re time and energy: Indeed. That's why I'm slaving my guts out to earn and save now, rather than having to do so after the saplings arrive!

Ha! If you think you're slaving your guts out now? Just wait until you have kids...

 

[Tree13]

Ha! If you think you're slaving your guts out now? Just wait until you have kids...

I very specifically said "slaving my guts out to earn and save now". The clear inference being, I want as much time available AFTER the birth to spend simply being a Dad - IE not so much slaving away at work to earn money.

 

[tim cahill]

I very specifically said "slaving my guts out to earn and save now". The clear inference being, I want as much time available AFTER the birth to spend simply being a Dad - IE not so much slaving away at work to earn money.

It was only meant to be light hearted mate!

 

[The Esk]

Looks like Cameron is going to bring forward the EU in/out referendum to 2016 so as to not clash with the French and German elections in 2017.

The earlier the referendum the better, reduces the period of uncertainty prior to the referendum.

 

[Pienaar's gloves]

How would each of us vote in an EU referendum?

In?
Out?
See what settlement can be reached and then choose?

I'm in the 'in' camp to be honest, regardless of whatever DC comes up with, I still believe we are better at the party. I don't think it is perfect though.

 

[marty mcfly]

A lot of it seems to revolve around the idea that New Labour was a brilliant idea and deviating from it was what lost Milliband the election.

Mandelson saying that. What a surprise. New Labour was more right wing than the Tories. At least with Ed there was a chance Labour supporters might get Labour into power. With New Labour they where screwed either way.

 

[peteblue]

It was once considered the done thing to have a by election when an MP became a minister.

It was called a ministerial by-election, but was always uncontested.......

 

[bring the ghost on]

At least with Ed there was a chance Labour supporters might get Labour into power.

Labour supporters don't win elections, it's those voters who swing marginal seats and are not ideologically attached to any party, hence why New Labour was successful by lurching to the right and appealing to their needs.